Alice Reeves-Turner

Anetha Sivananthan

Jacqueline Shepherd

Kate Pounds

Poppie Platt

Sheyma Mukhtar

Sammy Mngqosini

Bree Johnson

Ryan Hesketh

Louise Hall

Rahkee Gogna

Katharine Gemmell

Sarah Burgess

Lucille Adutwum Brobbey

Chris Bradford

Naina Bhardwaj

Zayneb Benyoucef

Thomas Beattie

Aisha Awan

Shazad Hussain

Rachael Davis

Niall Evans

Kiro Evans

Georgia Simcox

Camomile Shumba

Anita Khakpour-Langary

Aman Pathiara

Amaliah Marmon-Halm

Jake Roberts

Born and raised in Essex, Jake read politics at the LSE and has since worked as a teaching assistant and tutor. He values uncovering the truth for its own sake and wishes to become an investigative reporter. He has recently begun his NCTJ course at Sutton College and is grateful that the JDF has given him the opportunity to learn the tools of the trade.

Fadumo Olow

Fadumo is a youth worker and an aspiring journalist who is the co-founder of the podcast ‘I Think She’s Offside’. The podcast focuses on bringing a different female-led perspective to traditional sports discussions and covers stories in the local community. Fadumo has also been involved the BCOMs masterclass and work placement at The Guardian. She has worked on bringing journalism to a new digital age through FIFA Women’s World Cup campaigns for Adidas London and guest presents at Give Me Sport Women. Fadumo is hugely passionate about increasing diversity in newsrooms and hopes to inspire others from BAME background to take on careers in sports.

Tamara Krivskaya

Tamara will soon be graduating with a degree in politics, philosophy and economics from Lancaster University. Thanks to the Journalism Diversity Fund, Tamara was able to accept her offer to study towards her NCTJ diploma with News Associates Manchester. Due to her financial status she would not have been able to afford the £4,250 tuition fees without the help of the JDF. Journalism is Tamara’s passion and she is incredibly excited to start her career as a journalist.

Shannon McDonagh

Shannon has known she wanted to be a journalist for a very long time. A keen reader, she often found herself returning to her grandad’s daily papers as a child growing up in council housing in South London. She invested much of her time in student media at the University of East Anglia, spending her final year as news editor of Concrete, their student newspaper. Following this, she has undertaken internships at The Times, MyLondon and the Eastern Daily Press. From these experiences she has found that newsrooms are at their best when they represent various perspectives, be it in gender, sexuality, ethnicity or social backgrounds. Shannon is immensely thankful to the Journalism Diversity Fund for supporting her studies with PA Training – this crucial next step would have been impossible without it.

Rosie Slater

Rosie will study for an NCTJ diploma at PA Training. Born in Tottenham, North London, to a low-income family, she developed an interest in journalism after finding that negative media representation reinforced damaging stereotypes about communities like hers. With a passion for politics and an interest in social policy, Rosie has so far spent her career working with refugees, challenging the stigma around mental health and creating content for the media as a photographer. As she embarks on a career in journalism, Rosie wants to challenge perceptions, change narratives and champion the voices of marginalised communities.

Nadine Batchelor-Hunt

Nadine will be studying on the NCTJ-accredited diploma in multimedia journalism course with News Associates in Manchester. Since graduating from the University of Cambridge in 2017, she has written for The Guardian, HuffPost UK, and Metro. She has also appeared on BBC and LBC radio. As a black, Jewish woman from a working class background, Nadine is passionate about diversifying journalism so it reflects the diversity of society. She hopes that her presence in newsrooms will bring fresh and unique perspectives on class and race. Nadine also has ADHD, and hopes help fight the stigma surrounding mental health in the work place.

Isabella D’Emilio

Isabella has worked across women’s and lifestyle magazines including Grazia and the Conde Nast titles. Having previously worked professionally in PR for a leading human rights organisation, Isabella developed an interest in rights related issues and real life stories. She decided to move into journalism and aims to share stories with unique perspectives and bring them to new audiences. She would like to learn the more formal elements of journalism and will be studying at PA Training in London. Isabella has a broad interest in society, identity, women’s issues, the arts and culture. She feels strongly about changing the narrative around diversity in the media so it’s inclusive and representative.

Dani Cole

Dani Cole graduated with a BA (Hons) English degree from Queen Mary University of London in 2018. As a Cambodian adoptee with Caucasian parents, Dani is interested in narratives surrounding identity, especially within underrepresented communities. She will study at News Associates Manchester on the NCTJ fast-track diploma in multimedia journalism. Dani’s ultimate aspiration is to specialise in investigative journalism. She hopes to find her birth father, who was a survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime. Dani sincerely thanks the Journalism Diversity Fund for allowing her to pursue her ambition and relieving the burden of financial stress.

Dahaba Ali Hussen

Dahaba Ali Hussen graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2017 with a BA hons degree in history. She has recently started working as a freelance journalist focusing on class, race, gender and identity here in the UK. She has picked up bylines in The Independent, The ipaper, Stylist Magazine, The Metro and more. Dahaba will be studying on the PA Training fast-track course and is very excited about bringing diversity to the newsroom.

Amy Bush

Amy will be studying on the multimedia journalism diploma course with News Associates in Manchester. Having worked as an academic librarian for 10 years, Amy is keen to combine her research skills with her passion for writing and investigation. Having grown up in Coventry with a single mum and four sisters, Amy wants to help bring a voice to people from working class communities and has a strong interest in women’s issues. As a person with long-term depression and anxiety, she also wants to represent people with mental health problems and help tackle stigmas surrounding mental illness.

Megan Stanley

Megan will begin the NCTJ-accredited MA news journalism course at Cardiff University in September. While completing a BA in English at the University of Birmingham, Megan wrote for multiple student publications and completed work for ITN and the BBC. Raised by a single mother under the benefits system, she knows how significant media influence can be when depicting the most vulnerable in society. Megan believes this will give her a different perspective in the newsroom and hopes to represent working-class voices. She is grateful to receive support from the JDF as she pursues a journalism career.

Damian Shepherd

Damian is a recent journalism graduate from Sheffield Hallam University. Over the past year, he has worked as an intern at local publications including the Sheffield Star, and international organisations such as Radio France Internationale in Paris. Damian will soon begin an MA journalism course at the University of Sheffield, and is keen to use his childhood experiences of living in social housing to bring a fresh perspective to disproportionate newsrooms. Originally from East Sussex, Damian believes his background can provide new angles to current affairs and break the stigmas that young people from working-class backgrounds face.

Min Kaur

Min Kaur is a freelance journalist at the BBC for Surrey and Sussex Radio. Min has reported for The One Show, Sunday Morning Live, Inside Out West, Radio 4 and also a stand in presenter for some local radio stations. She’s passionate about getting unheard voices heard especially from the underserved communities. Recently Min launched the Min Kaur Podcast, sharing unheard stories. Min also is an events hosts for the Asian Fire Service Association. Min volunteers for her local radio station Hayes FM. She’s always up for a laugh and never take things too seriously. As a hobby, Min has a passion for art and is a henna artist.

Marvel Kalukembi

Marvel will be studying an NCTJ course at Kingston University this year, having graduated from the University of Nottingham with a BA in international media and communications. She has always been interested in the storytelling element of journalism and believes that with the financial aid given by the JDF bursary she will be able to tell the stories and showcase the positive influence that minority audiences should have in the media. Marvel looks forward to encouraging diversity in thought to generate more inclusive and representative content in the newsroom.

Anna Marie Hughes

Anna Marie Hughes is a history graduate and will be commencing her master’s studies in multimedia journalism at the University of Kent in September. In her history degree, she focused her dissertation on the British media’s response to doping in cycling. She is the sports website editor for the university student paper and is striving to bring greater coverage to campus sport and previously overlooked disciplines. She is a competitive sportswomen in her own right in the continually male-dominated sport of cycling. She has battled through this intimidating environment and lack of equality which still remains in the sport.

Amy Clarke

Amy is recent a BA journalism graduate from Sheffield Hallam University and is delighted to be awarded the opportunity to expand her skills by undertaking an NCTJ accredited MA in journalism at the University of Sheffield. She grew up in a typical working-class council home in Barnsley and hopes that she will become part of the next generation of journalists who are a truer representation of the public. Proud of her northern heritage, Amy hopes to see more regional voices and issues put into the national press. She is overtly grateful to receive support from the Journalism Diversity Fund.

Bradley Young

Bradley has recently graduated from the University of Leeds with a BA in politics, and will begin studying an NCTJ-accredited MA journalism course at the University of Sheffield this autumn. Excited to take this step toward a career in journalism, he hopes that he will be able to use his experience with mental health and economic obstacles to bring a different perspective on what is considered an issue of public concern. Bradley says he is extremely grateful to the Journalism Diversity Fund for making this possible.

Callum Warren

Callum is a recent graduate from University of Ulster gaining a BA (Hons) in media studies and production. Callum continually battles against his disabilities and the stereotypical views of disability. Soon to study an NCTJ-accredited journalism MA at Ulster University, he hopes to represent the diverse minority communities fairly. Born of English/Northern Irish parents, he believes strongly in acceptance of cultural diversity regardless of religion, race or sexuality. The support of the JDF empowers Callum to support the communities that helped him throughout his endeavours, dreaming of one day covering the Paralympic games in an attempt to inspire others just as he was.

Alice Reeves-Turner

Alice will undertake a diploma in sports journalism in September with News Associates. Alice brings diversity to a newsroom through her gender (Alice is female, pursuing a career in a male dominated industry), as well as through being heavily dyslexic, which had seen her being told that she would never read. Alice could potentially encourage other women to enter into sports journalism (about which she is very passionate and has already helped younger aspiring journalists to do), providing a role model for those with a disability, regardless of its type, to not give up when told they cannot do something.

Anetha Sivananthan

Commencing her journalism career at Blasting News, Anetha has published features on classism and human rights issues, and following her graduation, she has aimed to italicise the proliferating influence of “symbolic violence” in news; evident in the dissemination of “fake news”, Othering rhetoric, sensationalism and harassment of journalists. At Arts and Collections, Anetha has focalised on “grey area” subjects, such as the campaign to end the arms trade within the arts. Similarly, at Celebrity Angels she has assessed the impact of different policies on healthcare, while her features at College News solicit polemical commentary on American news. Anetha thus aspires to engineer a career in broadcast journalism to enable a “middle ground” for discussing today’s polarised opinions.

Jacqueline Shepherd

Jacqueline always had a passion for journalism and undertook short courses while managing to forge a career in presenting. Driven by a passion to help create a media landscape that is more inclusive and representative, the last few years has also seen Jacqueline working for a charitable organisation training young people from under-represented backgrounds to enter the often inaccessible TV industry. Having been out of education for over a decade, Jacqueline felt that securing formal training was unobtainable and convinced that, that ship had sailed. With help from JDF Jacqueline is excited to formalise her skillset at News Associates.

Kate Pounds

Kate is delighted to receive a JDF bursary which will assist her in taking the diploma in multimedia journalism with News Associates. Her bursary will offset some of the costs of living with a physical disability, enabling her to study with fewer constraints. Kate’s colleagues will gain insight into working with a blind person and will carry that forward in all their future interactions in and beyond the newsroom. Her particular experiences of living with a disability plus her awareness, understanding and an ability to perceive often-overlooked nuances in communication will generate compelling and distinctive content.

Poppie Platt

Poppie is a classical civilisation and English graduate from the University of Leeds and became interested in a career in journalism as a teenager, following her involvement with her school newspaper and a range of online blogging and social media platforms. With the financial assistance of a JDF bursary, Poppie is due to begin her MA in journalism at the University of Sheffield. As a first-generation university graduate from the Black country with a working-class background, Poppie seeks to represent marginalised voices in her writing and is particularly interested in using regional dialects in her work. Poppie is interested in issues such as social justice, political representation and gender equality and how popular culture can be used to explore these issues. Poppie’s greatest aim is to introduce a wider demographic to quality journalism, ensuring that her writing style is always accessible whilst retaining its integrity and creative flair.

Sheyma Mukhtar

Sheyma Mukhtar graduated from the University of Roehampton with a BA (Hons) in journalism. Sheyma will be starting her NCTJ-accredited course in sports journalism at St. Mary’s University in September. Since a very young age, Sheyma Mukhtar has had a deep passion for sports. After visiting her first football match in 2009, she knew from the passion that surrounded her that she wanted to take on a career in the sports world. Sheyma wants to be an inspiration to Black Muslim women who also aspire to be sports journalists by showing them that anything is possible through hard work and determination. As a British Black East African Muslim, Sheyma feels she can bring diversity to the newsroom.

Sammy Mngqosini

Sammy Mngqosini is a former marketing manager who has fled the pharmaceutical industry in pursuit of her lifelong dream of working as a full-time sports broadcast journalist. Over the years, she has covered international netball, rugby sevens, basketball, women’s football and athletics for South African print and broadcast outlets. The master’s graduate plans to fuse her multi-sports passion and marketing expertise in order to produce content that engages diverse, previously untapped audiences. Sammy will undergo her NCTJ diploma in multimedia sports journalism training at News Associates in London. She rates the BBC’s Gabby Logan as her best friend in her head.

Bree Johnson

Bree is particularly interested in social issues and inequality and is frustrated by the state of modern British media, which she believes has become very “gossip orientated”. Bree hopes to restore integrity to modern reporting. Her goal is to bring issues that plague society like homelessness, poverty and abuse to the national forefront. She hopes to create content that inspires society to come together and make improvements. Bree dislikes the popular term that a good journalist gives a voice to the voiceless – she believes everyone has a voice and a great journalist provides the perfect platform.

Ryan Hesketh

Ryan will be studying an NCTJ course at Glasgow Caledonian University this year. They have always been a keen writer, and have written on topics ranging from climate crisis to international drug policy. They are a queer person, and a survivor of childhood trauma with experiences of both personal and generational mental health crises. Growing up, their parents were also foster carers, giving them a window into a world most people ignore. They hope to bring a more empathetic, accurate, and diverse perspective to newsrooms through their experiences throughout their career.

Louise Hall

Louise secured a place at News Associates in Manchester after spending a year as editor of TheCourier at Newcastle University Students’ Union. Incorporating her working class background into her work as a journalist she strives to deconstruct working class misrepresentation in the media and offer a unique perspective in newsrooms often dominated by the middle class. Louise is very thankful to the Journalism Diversity Fund for allowing her to continue to pursue her dream of being a journalist and is thrilled to be able to work alongside them in aspiring to make newsrooms better reflect the communities they serve.

Rahkee Gogna

Rakhee developed her love of journalism through writing research-based articles in her spare time for a major national and regional news publisher. She believes in journalism in its truest form and has a great passion for broadcasting, creative writing and current affairs. She has immersed herself within the community and believes teamwork and inclusion are at the heart of valuing diversity. With her ongoing commitment she intends to investigate under-represented topics like cancer in relation to religion, faith and identity. She has identified a gap within the Asian minority where both men and women are not coming forward and speaking out about cancer. She wants to build more inclusive communities and create a space for Asian voices to be heard.

Katharine Gemmell

Katharine will join PA Training in London to study for her NCTJ diploma. After growing up in Glasgow, she studied at the University of St Andrews and realised there were very few people like herself there. Alongside her lifelong passion for journalism, this ignited a longing to make institutions more representative of the communities they serve. She believes that the London-centric national media often leaves out Scottish perspectives, working-class voices, and those with mental illnesses. Katharine hopes to use her individual experiences to highlight stories that slip under the radar. She is extremely grateful that the JDF has chosen to support her.

Sarah Burgess

Sarah will be attending PA Training’s news reporting course starting in August 2019. Born in Gateshead, she wants to bring greater political representation to regional, working-class communities in the north east. After graduating in 2018, she has spent the last year building up a portfolio as a freelancer and strengthening her editorial skills, while working multiple part-time jobs to fund her course fees. She now runs her own politics blog, Regionalitics, offering regional perspectives on current affairs. She is immensely grateful that the JDF will be contributing towards her living costs for the duration of her studies.

Lucille Adutwum Brobbey

Lucille is a philosophy graduate from the University of Warwick who will be studying the NCTJ diploma full-time with the News Associates in London. Her intersecting identities help her to provide a unique outlook on issues that affect society and assist her in exploring stories from multiple perspectives. She aims to shed light on the experiences of marginalised individuals and explore issues concerning social justice. As a presenter and broadcast journalist, she hopes to ensure that people of colour feel that their opinions are valued and they can speak on issues that don’t always pertain to race.

Chris Bradford

Chris studied history and politics at Liverpool University and graduated in July. Journalism allows him to combine his interests of writing, politics and sport. He will be undertaking the NCTJ multimedia diploma fast-track course at News Associates in Manchester from September. He was heavily involved in student media whilst at university and has also written for online political and sports platforms. He recently completed a placement at The Observer London newsroom. Chris is proud of his working class background and wants to provide a greater focus on issues which affect the North West and are underreported in the national media.

Naina Bhardwaj

Naina Bhardwaj is an aspiring journalist from Glasgow who did an undergraduate degree in English, journalism and creative writing at the University of Strathclyde. She will now be studying MA journalism at the University of Sheffield. Naina is passionate about diversifying the media so that it is more reflective of the society we live in today.

Zayneb Benyoucef

Zayneb will be starting the NCTJ course in September with PA Training. She will bring diversity in the newsroom as she wants to bring light to stories that are often ignored in the national press. She will also bring a diversity in view points and in storytelling especially as she is still young and from an ethnic minority background. She wants to tackle the lack of diversity in the newsroom to enable the audiences to get a wide range of views from day to day news.

Thomas Beattie

Born and raised in Liverpool, Thomas achieved a 2:1 in history from Lancaster University in 2019. His real passion, however, is to become a journalist. The son of a construction worker and a nursery nurse, Thomas has long had a passion for social justice and feels that, through his writing, he will help to diversify the industry by representing working-class communities from across the UK; becoming a voice for those in need. With the help of the Journalism Diversity Fund, Thomas will begin a course at News Associates Manchester in September 2019.

Aisha Awan

Aisha has always been a person who strives to make a positive impact in all areas of her life – from friends to professional colleagues, she is recognised as a warm, gentle and fun loving character. Her new challenge partaking in the multimedia journalism course with News Associates London will definitely allow her to flourish and showcase her skills as a writer and reporter. Her passion for sports, especially Formula 1, will give her the edge in the world of digital news and she will seize the opportunity in her own creative style.

Shazad Hussain

Shazad will study the NCTJ-accredited journalism diploma at City of Wolverhampton College and intends to investigate under-represented topics like race, faith and identity in football. On viewing parks and five-a-side-pitches, Shazad noticed a plethora of South Asians, yet their presence decreases significantly at football grounds. One reason Shazad cites for the lack of South Asians in the British media industry is due to the constant negative narratives of Muslims and Pakistanis, leaving one feeling unrepresented and unwanted. Subsequently, Shazad hopes to create a space in the British sports journalism world for Muslim and South Asian voices.

Rachael Davis

Rachael is a Bath Spa University English literature graduate, and from September she will be studying towards the NCTJ diploma part-time with Press Association Training in London. She comes from rural Norfolk with a working-class background, so is keen to bring her experiences and perspective into newsrooms which she feels are often disproportionately middle-class and privately-educated. Rachel is so grateful to be a recipient of the Journalism Diversity Fund this year – and says that being able to take her first big step into the world of journalism without financial stress is wonderful.

Niall Evans

Niall has recently graduated from Cardiff University with a degree in BA (Hons) journalism and communications and has experience of producing news and features for Discovered Magazine. He has recently completed a work placement at the South Wales Argus and looks forward to spending a week at WalesOnline in summer 2019. By studying the NCTJ-accredited MA news journalism course at Cardiff University, Niall hopes to better represent Wales’ working class communities in the press.

Kiro Evans

Kiro Evans will begin his NCTJ course with Press Association Training in August. He is aiming to complete the NCTJ diploma in news and sports reporting and learn all the necessary skills to succeed in either industry. He will bring diversity to the newsroom by attempting to offer perspectives informed from his background and experiences that he feels have for too long been ignored by much of the media. He will also attempt to identify and highlight stories that will be of interest to a wider constituency of readers.

Georgia Simcox

Georgia has a place at News Associates London after graduating from the University of Warwick. The first in her family to go to university after growing up in social housing, she feels she can offer a new perspective to the newsroom. Georgia’s interest in journalism took off when she started writing for the student newspaper, The Boar, of which she was books editor in her final year. Work experience at The Observer, The Sun and The Times solidified her determination to succeed in the industry, despite the financial obstacles. She eventually wants to go into political journalism.

Camomile Shumba

In September, due to the support of the Journalism Diversity Fund, Camomile will be studying on the 22 week fast-track multimedia journalism course at News Associates in London. She feels she will bring diversity to the newsroom, and as a migrant from Zimbabwe, a country with complicated issues, she feels she can handle international crisis with care. Camomile is dyslexic and has ADHD. As a result, she has a wild imagination which sieves difficult messages for people with disabilities. She also believes that women should support women.

Anita Khakpour-Langary

Anita feels fortunate to be starting her NCTJ-accredited course at the highly reputable News Associates. She is extremely humbled to have been awarded this bursary and with it she hopes to encourage more Persian women into the newsroom. As her father was studying in the UK during the revolution, he has since been unable to return to his home country. Hence, the news occupied their household each evening, partly disseminating information and partly helping her parents feel closer to home. As a result, she was brought up watching women like Christiane Amanpour and she aspires to inspire those similar to herself that feel under-represented.

Aman Pathiara

Aman is a 29-year-old freelancer, and has worked as a sub-editor for Sky Sports and a content editor for UEFA. Having spent eight years working within higher education following graduation with a BA in journalism from the University of Roehampton in 2011, Aman hopes that the multimedia journalism diploma from News Associates can help him make the transition from freelancer to fully-fledged journalist.

Amaliah Marmon-Halm

Having always been a keen writer, Amaliah has forged a career as a freelance writer whilst on her year abroad in Beijing, and since leaving university. You can find her work on many online publications and has firmly rooted herself in the world of independent British cinema. After spending many years developing her written voice, she will now undertake to get her NCTJ diploma, with hopes of finding more writing opportunities and establishing herself further in the world of journalism.

Jake Roberts

Born and raised in Essex, Jake read politics at the LSE and has since worked as a teaching assistant and tutor. He values uncovering the truth for its own sake and wishes to become an investigative reporter. He has recently begun his NCTJ course at Sutton College and is grateful that the JDF has given him the opportunity to learn the tools of the trade.

Fadumo Olow

Fadumo is a youth worker and an aspiring journalist who is the co-founder of the podcast ‘I Think She’s Offside’. The podcast focuses on bringing a different female-led perspective to traditional sports discussions and covers stories in the local community. Fadumo has also been involved the BCOMs masterclass and work placement at The Guardian. She has worked on bringing journalism to a new digital age through FIFA Women’s World Cup campaigns for Adidas London and guest presents at Give Me Sport Women. Fadumo is hugely passionate about increasing diversity in newsrooms and hopes to inspire others from BAME background to take on careers in sports.

Tamara Krivskaya

Tamara will soon be graduating with a degree in politics, philosophy and economics from Lancaster University. Thanks to the Journalism Diversity Fund, Tamara was able to accept her offer to study towards her NCTJ diploma with News Associates Manchester. Due to her financial status she would not have been able to afford the £4,250 tuition fees without the help of the JDF. Journalism is Tamara’s passion and she is incredibly excited to start her career as a journalist.

Shannon McDonagh

Shannon has known she wanted to be a journalist for a very long time. A keen reader, she often found herself returning to her grandad’s daily papers as a child growing up in council housing in South London. She invested much of her time in student media at the University of East Anglia, spending her final year as news editor of Concrete, their student newspaper. Following this, she has undertaken internships at The Times, MyLondon and the Eastern Daily Press. From these experiences she has found that newsrooms are at their best when they represent various perspectives, be it in gender, sexuality, ethnicity or social backgrounds. Shannon is immensely thankful to the Journalism Diversity Fund for supporting her studies with PA Training – this crucial next step would have been impossible without it.

Rosie Slater

Rosie will study for an NCTJ diploma at PA Training. Born in Tottenham, North London, to a low-income family, she developed an interest in journalism after finding that negative media representation reinforced damaging stereotypes about communities like hers. With a passion for politics and an interest in social policy, Rosie has so far spent her career working with refugees, challenging the stigma around mental health and creating content for the media as a photographer. As she embarks on a career in journalism, Rosie wants to challenge perceptions, change narratives and champion the voices of marginalised communities.

Nadine Batchelor-Hunt

Nadine will be studying on the NCTJ-accredited diploma in multimedia journalism course with News Associates in Manchester. Since graduating from the University of Cambridge in 2017, she has written for The Guardian, HuffPost UK, and Metro. She has also appeared on BBC and LBC radio. As a black, Jewish woman from a working class background, Nadine is passionate about diversifying journalism so it reflects the diversity of society. She hopes that her presence in newsrooms will bring fresh and unique perspectives on class and race. Nadine also has ADHD, and hopes help fight the stigma surrounding mental health in the work place.

Isabella D’Emilio

Isabella has worked across women’s and lifestyle magazines including Grazia and the Conde Nast titles. Having previously worked professionally in PR for a leading human rights organisation, Isabella developed an interest in rights related issues and real life stories. She decided to move into journalism and aims to share stories with unique perspectives and bring them to new audiences. She would like to learn the more formal elements of journalism and will be studying at PA Training in London. Isabella has a broad interest in society, identity, women’s issues, the arts and culture. She feels strongly about changing the narrative around diversity in the media so it’s inclusive and representative.

Dani Cole

Dani Cole graduated with a BA (Hons) English degree from Queen Mary University of London in 2018. As a Cambodian adoptee with Caucasian parents, Dani is interested in narratives surrounding identity, especially within underrepresented communities. She will study at News Associates Manchester on the NCTJ fast-track diploma in multimedia journalism. Dani’s ultimate aspiration is to specialise in investigative journalism. She hopes to find her birth father, who was a survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime. Dani sincerely thanks the Journalism Diversity Fund for allowing her to pursue her ambition and relieving the burden of financial stress.

Dahaba Ali Hussen

Dahaba Ali Hussen graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2017 with a BA hons degree in history. She has recently started working as a freelance journalist focusing on class, race, gender and identity here in the UK. She has picked up bylines in The Independent, The ipaper, Stylist Magazine, The Metro and more. Dahaba will be studying on the PA Training fast-track course and is very excited about bringing diversity to the newsroom.

Amy Bush

Amy will be studying on the multimedia journalism diploma course with News Associates in Manchester. Having worked as an academic librarian for 10 years, Amy is keen to combine her research skills with her passion for writing and investigation. Having grown up in Coventry with a single mum and four sisters, Amy wants to help bring a voice to people from working class communities and has a strong interest in women’s issues. As a person with long-term depression and anxiety, she also wants to represent people with mental health problems and help tackle stigmas surrounding mental illness.

Megan Stanley

Megan will begin the NCTJ-accredited MA news journalism course at Cardiff University in September. While completing a BA in English at the University of Birmingham, Megan wrote for multiple student publications and completed work for ITN and the BBC. Raised by a single mother under the benefits system, she knows how significant media influence can be when depicting the most vulnerable in society. Megan believes this will give her a different perspective in the newsroom and hopes to represent working-class voices. She is grateful to receive support from the JDF as she pursues a journalism career.

Damian Shepherd

Damian is a recent journalism graduate from Sheffield Hallam University. Over the past year, he has worked as an intern at local publications including the Sheffield Star, and international organisations such as Radio France Internationale in Paris. Damian will soon begin an MA journalism course at the University of Sheffield, and is keen to use his childhood experiences of living in social housing to bring a fresh perspective to disproportionate newsrooms. Originally from East Sussex, Damian believes his background can provide new angles to current affairs and break the stigmas that young people from working-class backgrounds face.

Min Kaur

Min Kaur is a freelance journalist at the BBC for Surrey and Sussex Radio. Min has reported for The One Show, Sunday Morning Live, Inside Out West, Radio 4 and also a stand in presenter for some local radio stations. She’s passionate about getting unheard voices heard especially from the underserved communities. Recently Min launched the Min Kaur Podcast, sharing unheard stories. Min also is an events hosts for the Asian Fire Service Association. Min volunteers for her local radio station Hayes FM. She’s always up for a laugh and never take things too seriously. As a hobby, Min has a passion for art and is a henna artist.

Marvel Kalukembi

Marvel will be studying an NCTJ course at Kingston University this year, having graduated from the University of Nottingham with a BA in international media and communications. She has always been interested in the storytelling element of journalism and believes that with the financial aid given by the JDF bursary she will be able to tell the stories and showcase the positive influence that minority audiences should have in the media. Marvel looks forward to encouraging diversity in thought to generate more inclusive and representative content in the newsroom.

Anna Marie Hughes

Anna Marie Hughes is a history graduate and will be commencing her master’s studies in multimedia journalism at the University of Kent in September. In her history degree, she focused her dissertation on the British media’s response to doping in cycling. She is the sports website editor for the university student paper and is striving to bring greater coverage to campus sport and previously overlooked disciplines. She is a competitive sportswomen in her own right in the continually male-dominated sport of cycling. She has battled through this intimidating environment and lack of equality which still remains in the sport.

Amy Clarke

Amy is recent a BA journalism graduate from Sheffield Hallam University and is delighted to be awarded the opportunity to expand her skills by undertaking an NCTJ accredited MA in journalism at the University of Sheffield. She grew up in a typical working-class council home in Barnsley and hopes that she will become part of the next generation of journalists who are a truer representation of the public. Proud of her northern heritage, Amy hopes to see more regional voices and issues put into the national press. She is overtly grateful to receive support from the Journalism Diversity Fund.

Bradley Young

Bradley has recently graduated from the University of Leeds with a BA in politics, and will begin studying an NCTJ-accredited MA journalism course at the University of Sheffield this autumn. Excited to take this step toward a career in journalism, he hopes that he will be able to use his experience with mental health and economic obstacles to bring a different perspective on what is considered an issue of public concern. Bradley says he is extremely grateful to the Journalism Diversity Fund for making this possible.

Callum Warren

Callum is a recent graduate from University of Ulster gaining a BA (Hons) in media studies and production. Callum continually battles against his disabilities and the stereotypical views of disability. Soon to study an NCTJ-accredited journalism MA at Ulster University, he hopes to represent the diverse minority communities fairly. Born of English/Northern Irish parents, he believes strongly in acceptance of cultural diversity regardless of religion, race or sexuality. The support of the JDF empowers Callum to support the communities that helped him throughout his endeavours, dreaming of one day covering the Paralympic games in an attempt to inspire others just as he was.

Alice Reeves-Turner

Alice will undertake a diploma in sports journalism in September with News Associates. Alice brings diversity to a newsroom through her gender (Alice is female, pursuing a career in a male dominated industry), as well as through being heavily dyslexic, which had seen her being told that she would never read. Alice could potentially encourage other women to enter into sports journalism (about which she is very passionate and has already helped younger aspiring journalists to do), providing a role model for those with a disability, regardless of its type, to not give up when told they cannot do something.

Anetha Sivananthan

Commencing her journalism career at Blasting News, Anetha has published features on classism and human rights issues, and following her graduation, she has aimed to italicise the proliferating influence of “symbolic violence” in news; evident in the dissemination of “fake news”, Othering rhetoric, sensationalism and harassment of journalists. At Arts and Collections, Anetha has focalised on “grey area” subjects, such as the campaign to end the arms trade within the arts. Similarly, at Celebrity Angels she has assessed the impact of different policies on healthcare, while her features at College News solicit polemical commentary on American news. Anetha thus aspires to engineer a career in broadcast journalism to enable a “middle ground” for discussing today’s polarised opinions.

Jacqueline Shepherd

Jacqueline always had a passion for journalism and undertook short courses while managing to forge a career in presenting. Driven by a passion to help create a media landscape that is more inclusive and representative, the last few years has also seen Jacqueline working for a charitable organisation training young people from under-represented backgrounds to enter the often inaccessible TV industry. Having been out of education for over a decade, Jacqueline felt that securing formal training was unobtainable and convinced that, that ship had sailed. With help from JDF Jacqueline is excited to formalise her skillset at News Associates.

Kate Pounds

Kate is delighted to receive a JDF bursary which will assist her in taking the diploma in multimedia journalism with News Associates. Her bursary will offset some of the costs of living with a physical disability, enabling her to study with fewer constraints. Kate’s colleagues will gain insight into working with a blind person and will carry that forward in all their future interactions in and beyond the newsroom. Her particular experiences of living with a disability plus her awareness, understanding and an ability to perceive often-overlooked nuances in communication will generate compelling and distinctive content.

Poppie Platt

Poppie is a classical civilisation and English graduate from the University of Leeds and became interested in a career in journalism as a teenager, following her involvement with her school newspaper and a range of online blogging and social media platforms. With the financial assistance of a JDF bursary, Poppie is due to begin her MA in journalism at the University of Sheffield. As a first-generation university graduate from the Black country with a working-class background, Poppie seeks to represent marginalised voices in her writing and is particularly interested in using regional dialects in her work. Poppie is interested in issues such as social justice, political representation and gender equality and how popular culture can be used to explore these issues. Poppie’s greatest aim is to introduce a wider demographic to quality journalism, ensuring that her writing style is always accessible whilst retaining its integrity and creative flair.

Sheyma Mukhtar

Sheyma Mukhtar graduated from the University of Roehampton with a BA (Hons) in journalism. Sheyma will be starting her NCTJ-accredited course in sports journalism at St. Mary’s University in September. Since a very young age, Sheyma Mukhtar has had a deep passion for sports. After visiting her first football match in 2009, she knew from the passion that surrounded her that she wanted to take on a career in the sports world. Sheyma wants to be an inspiration to Black Muslim women who also aspire to be sports journalists by showing them that anything is possible through hard work and determination. As a British Black East African Muslim, Sheyma feels she can bring diversity to the newsroom.

Sammy Mngqosini

Sammy Mngqosini is a former marketing manager who has fled the pharmaceutical industry in pursuit of her lifelong dream of working as a full-time sports broadcast journalist. Over the years, she has covered international netball, rugby sevens, basketball, women’s football and athletics for South African print and broadcast outlets. The master’s graduate plans to fuse her multi-sports passion and marketing expertise in order to produce content that engages diverse, previously untapped audiences. Sammy will undergo her NCTJ diploma in multimedia sports journalism training at News Associates in London. She rates the BBC’s Gabby Logan as her best friend in her head.

Bree Johnson

Bree is particularly interested in social issues and inequality and is frustrated by the state of modern British media, which she believes has become very “gossip orientated”. Bree hopes to restore integrity to modern reporting. Her goal is to bring issues that plague society like homelessness, poverty and abuse to the national forefront. She hopes to create content that inspires society to come together and make improvements. Bree dislikes the popular term that a good journalist gives a voice to the voiceless – she believes everyone has a voice and a great journalist provides the perfect platform.

Ryan Hesketh

Ryan will be studying an NCTJ course at Glasgow Caledonian University this year. They have always been a keen writer, and have written on topics ranging from climate crisis to international drug policy. They are a queer person, and a survivor of childhood trauma with experiences of both personal and generational mental health crises. Growing up, their parents were also foster carers, giving them a window into a world most people ignore. They hope to bring a more empathetic, accurate, and diverse perspective to newsrooms through their experiences throughout their career.

Louise Hall

Louise secured a place at News Associates in Manchester after spending a year as editor of TheCourier at Newcastle University Students’ Union. Incorporating her working class background into her work as a journalist she strives to deconstruct working class misrepresentation in the media and offer a unique perspective in newsrooms often dominated by the middle class. Louise is very thankful to the Journalism Diversity Fund for allowing her to continue to pursue her dream of being a journalist and is thrilled to be able to work alongside them in aspiring to make newsrooms better reflect the communities they serve.

Rahkee Gogna

Rakhee developed her love of journalism through writing research-based articles in her spare time for a major national and regional news publisher. She believes in journalism in its truest form and has a great passion for broadcasting, creative writing and current affairs. She has immersed herself within the community and believes teamwork and inclusion are at the heart of valuing diversity. With her ongoing commitment she intends to investigate under-represented topics like cancer in relation to religion, faith and identity. She has identified a gap within the Asian minority where both men and women are not coming forward and speaking out about cancer. She wants to build more inclusive communities and create a space for Asian voices to be heard.

Katharine Gemmell

Katharine will join PA Training in London to study for her NCTJ diploma. After growing up in Glasgow, she studied at the University of St Andrews and realised there were very few people like herself there. Alongside her lifelong passion for journalism, this ignited a longing to make institutions more representative of the communities they serve. She believes that the London-centric national media often leaves out Scottish perspectives, working-class voices, and those with mental illnesses. Katharine hopes to use her individual experiences to highlight stories that slip under the radar. She is extremely grateful that the JDF has chosen to support her.

Sarah Burgess

Sarah will be attending PA Training’s news reporting course starting in August 2019. Born in Gateshead, she wants to bring greater political representation to regional, working-class communities in the north east. After graduating in 2018, she has spent the last year building up a portfolio as a freelancer and strengthening her editorial skills, while working multiple part-time jobs to fund her course fees. She now runs her own politics blog, Regionalitics, offering regional perspectives on current affairs. She is immensely grateful that the JDF will be contributing towards her living costs for the duration of her studies.

Lucille Adutwum Brobbey

Lucille is a philosophy graduate from the University of Warwick who will be studying the NCTJ diploma full-time with the News Associates in London. Her intersecting identities help her to provide a unique outlook on issues that affect society and assist her in exploring stories from multiple perspectives. She aims to shed light on the experiences of marginalised individuals and explore issues concerning social justice. As a presenter and broadcast journalist, she hopes to ensure that people of colour feel that their opinions are valued and they can speak on issues that don’t always pertain to race.

Chris Bradford

Chris studied history and politics at Liverpool University and graduated in July. Journalism allows him to combine his interests of writing, politics and sport. He will be undertaking the NCTJ multimedia diploma fast-track course at News Associates in Manchester from September. He was heavily involved in student media whilst at university and has also written for online political and sports platforms. He recently completed a placement at The Observer London newsroom. Chris is proud of his working class background and wants to provide a greater focus on issues which affect the North West and are underreported in the national media.

Naina Bhardwaj

Naina Bhardwaj is an aspiring journalist from Glasgow who did an undergraduate degree in English, journalism and creative writing at the University of Strathclyde. She will now be studying MA journalism at the University of Sheffield. Naina is passionate about diversifying the media so that it is more reflective of the society we live in today.

Zayneb Benyoucef

Zayneb will be starting the NCTJ course in September with PA Training. She will bring diversity in the newsroom as she wants to bring light to stories that are often ignored in the national press. She will also bring a diversity in view points and in storytelling especially as she is still young and from an ethnic minority background. She wants to tackle the lack of diversity in the newsroom to enable the audiences to get a wide range of views from day to day news.

Thomas Beattie

Born and raised in Liverpool, Thomas achieved a 2:1 in history from Lancaster University in 2019. His real passion, however, is to become a journalist. The son of a construction worker and a nursery nurse, Thomas has long had a passion for social justice and feels that, through his writing, he will help to diversify the industry by representing working-class communities from across the UK; becoming a voice for those in need. With the help of the Journalism Diversity Fund, Thomas will begin a course at News Associates Manchester in September 2019.

Aisha Awan

Aisha has always been a person who strives to make a positive impact in all areas of her life – from friends to professional colleagues, she is recognised as a warm, gentle and fun loving character. Her new challenge partaking in the multimedia journalism course with News Associates London will definitely allow her to flourish and showcase her skills as a writer and reporter. Her passion for sports, especially Formula 1, will give her the edge in the world of digital news and she will seize the opportunity in her own creative style.

Shazad Hussain

Shazad will study the NCTJ-accredited journalism diploma at City of Wolverhampton College and intends to investigate under-represented topics like race, faith and identity in football. On viewing parks and five-a-side-pitches, Shazad noticed a plethora of South Asians, yet their presence decreases significantly at football grounds. One reason Shazad cites for the lack of South Asians in the British media industry is due to the constant negative narratives of Muslims and Pakistanis, leaving one feeling unrepresented and unwanted. Subsequently, Shazad hopes to create a space in the British sports journalism world for Muslim and South Asian voices.

Rachael Davis

Rachael is a Bath Spa University English literature graduate, and from September she will be studying towards the NCTJ diploma part-time with Press Association Training in London. She comes from rural Norfolk with a working-class background, so is keen to bring her experiences and perspective into newsrooms which she feels are often disproportionately middle-class and privately-educated. Rachel is so grateful to be a recipient of the Journalism Diversity Fund this year – and says that being able to take her first big step into the world of journalism without financial stress is wonderful.

Niall Evans

Niall has recently graduated from Cardiff University with a degree in BA (Hons) journalism and communications and has experience of producing news and features for Discovered Magazine. He has recently completed a work placement at the South Wales Argus and looks forward to spending a week at WalesOnline in summer 2019. By studying the NCTJ-accredited MA news journalism course at Cardiff University, Niall hopes to better represent Wales’ working class communities in the press.

Kiro Evans

Kiro Evans will begin his NCTJ course with Press Association Training in August. He is aiming to complete the NCTJ diploma in news and sports reporting and learn all the necessary skills to succeed in either industry. He will bring diversity to the newsroom by attempting to offer perspectives informed from his background and experiences that he feels have for too long been ignored by much of the media. He will also attempt to identify and highlight stories that will be of interest to a wider constituency of readers.

Georgia Simcox

Georgia has a place at News Associates London after graduating from the University of Warwick. The first in her family to go to university after growing up in social housing, she feels she can offer a new perspective to the newsroom. Georgia’s interest in journalism took off when she started writing for the student newspaper, The Boar, of which she was books editor in her final year. Work experience at The Observer, The Sun and The Times solidified her determination to succeed in the industry, despite the financial obstacles. She eventually wants to go into political journalism.

Camomile Shumba

In September, due to the support of the Journalism Diversity Fund, Camomile will be studying on the 22 week fast-track multimedia journalism course at News Associates in London. She feels she will bring diversity to the newsroom, and as a migrant from Zimbabwe, a country with complicated issues, she feels she can handle international crisis with care. Camomile is dyslexic and has ADHD. As a result, she has a wild imagination which sieves difficult messages for people with disabilities. She also believes that women should support women.

Anita Khakpour-Langary

Anita feels fortunate to be starting her NCTJ-accredited course at the highly reputable News Associates. She is extremely humbled to have been awarded this bursary and with it she hopes to encourage more Persian women into the newsroom. As her father was studying in the UK during the revolution, he has since been unable to return to his home country. Hence, the news occupied their household each evening, partly disseminating information and partly helping her parents feel closer to home. As a result, she was brought up watching women like Christiane Amanpour and she aspires to inspire those similar to herself that feel under-represented.

Aman Pathiara

Aman is a 29-year-old freelancer, and has worked as a sub-editor for Sky Sports and a content editor for UEFA. Having spent eight years working within higher education following graduation with a BA in journalism from the University of Roehampton in 2011, Aman hopes that the multimedia journalism diploma from News Associates can help him make the transition from freelancer to fully-fledged journalist.

Amaliah Marmon-Halm

Having always been a keen writer, Amaliah has forged a career as a freelance writer whilst on her year abroad in Beijing, and since leaving university. You can find her work on many online publications and has firmly rooted herself in the world of independent British cinema. After spending many years developing her written voice, she will now undertake to get her NCTJ diploma, with hopes of finding more writing opportunities and establishing herself further in the world of journalism.

TESTIMONIAL

“The bursary changed my life. In just over a year I’ve gone from working in a call centre to working as a reporter at the HuffPost, I couldn’t be happier.” Connor Parker, 2017 recipient

2018-19 bursary recipients

Find out about each of our bursary recipients for 2018-19 below.

Susie Kellie

Molly Millar

Danielle Manning

Brad Grant

Frankie Christou

Dominic Penna

Olivia Noon

Roxana Massoumi

Aini J Khan

Nicola Kenton

Lucy Pegg

Malachi Butt-Mukete

Corey Bedford

Cleo Anderson

Catherine Wiltshire

Jack Richardson

Yuan Ren

Tom Orde

Svar Nanan-Sen

Awil Mohamoud

Chloe McLaughlin

Sheila Marshall

Yemaya Marsden

Adam Maidment

Jessica Knibbs

Carly-May Kavanagh

Shardell Joseph

Kumail Jaffer

Jess Glass

Timothy Gallagher

Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu

Kathryn Batte

Kamilla Baiden

Andrew Andronicou

Adelina Adjei

Chloe Adams

Adam Sonin

Yusuf Khan

Matthew Ford

Solape Alatise

Sharmin Akhtar

Cohort 4 2018/19

Susie Kellie

Susie decided to do the NCTJ course at Press Association Training as she was eager to become a journalist but never thought she would be accepted into this industry because she believed it wasn’t made for people like her. Susie has a disability and did not have the financial resources to jump start a journalism career and so she took a leap of faith and decided to leave PR to pursue her dreams. She is hoping that the course will enable her to develop the very much needed skills in order to become the best writer that she can be.

Cohort 4 2018/19

Molly Millar

Molly grew up in Glasgow and graduated from Edinburgh University in 2017 with a degree in English literature. Through journalism she hopes to tie together her passions for great storytelling and current affairs. As a member of the LGBTQ community Molly is particularly eager to investigate the ways in which social and political issues affect the lived realities of marginalised groups. She believes journalism can be a catalyst for change and is committed to a career in bringing to light overlooked stories and perspectives that deserve to be heard.

Cohort 4 2018/19

Danielle Manning

Danielle has been a freelance radio journalist for the past two years and has most recently produced and presented a documentary for the BBC World Service. She now wants to turn her passion for politics and current affairs into a career as a news reporter. Her experience of growing up mixed race in a council house, with a disabled single mother has given her an interest in class, race, social care, mental health and education – topics she wants to explore in her work.

Cohort 4 2018/19

Brad Grant

Having started his career in social housing, Brad developed an interest for social policy – later becoming the first in his family to attend university, graduating recently with a first-class degree in public relations with politics. Whilst studying, Brad entered the field of journalism as a news runner for Sky News. Here he worked on a plethora of stories throughout 2017/18 from the UK terror attacks, Grenfell Tower fire, a general election and recently, a royal wedding. Brad is graciously thankful for the support of the Journalism Diversity Fund and looks forward to pursuing his ambitions of becoming a journalist.

Cohort 4 2018/19

Frankie Christou

Frankie grew up in a working class household with a single mother, so is determined to speak on behalf of those who come from socially deprived backgrounds. Since the summer, Frankie has started his own football blog – and within the space of a few months has received over 4,000 views. He developed his love for sport and progressed to write for Southwark News and The News Shopper, where he reports on Millwall FC and Millwall Lionesses.

Cohort 4 2018/19

Dominic Penna

Dominic Penna is a 21-year-old international relations & politics graduate. He has Asperger’s Syndrome and dyspraxia, meaning he is more reliant than most people on routine and experiences the anxiety which comes with this condition. Having adapted to a more independent life at university, Dominic has been features editor, and is now co-editor, of The Tab Sheffield, having previously interned at The Times, The Tab, and The Burton Mail. He hopes that he will be able to use the qualifications, skills, and contacts gained in his course to raise the profile of hidden disabilities, overcome more personal barriers, and make a positive impact in communities.

Cohort 4 2018/19

Olivia Noon

Olivia, 23, is a recent graduate from the University of Leeds where she achieved a 2.1 in broadcast journalism (international). Originally from Liverpool, Olivia volunteered at her local hospital radio before university. She is proudly working class and wants to see more northern voices represented in the media. Olivia has both dyslexia and dyspraxia and hopes that she can bring a new perspective to the world of journalism. Whilst studying for her degree, Olivia gained work experience at The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the BBC and Oxfam. Olivia hopes to pursue a career as broadcast journalist upon achieving her NCTJ qualification.

Cohort 4 2018/19

Roxana Massoumi

Roxana is a published author with HarperCollins whose investigative journalism work includes interviews with the Ku Klux Klan, first-hand research of human smuggling in Syria and interviewing serial killer Richard Ramirez. She has also made various contributions to The Guardian and Huffington Post on the #metoo movement and rock n roll groupies, on paedophile Ian Watkins and on the demonization of women’s sexuality and Othering the Middle Eastern woman. Roxana was born in Iran and loves rock n roll, history of serial killers, the Ratt Pack, Foucault and the history of sexuality. She would love to make investigative documentaries around the world.

Cohort 4 2018/19

Aini J Khan

Aina J Khan is a London-based journalist who has written for Al Jazeera English, The Guardian, VICE, The Independent, and Middle East Eye. She has worked in broadcast with ITV News and on numerous documentaries with ITN Productions, Channel 4, BBC Three. Over the last three years, she has worked with Southbank Centre, the UK’s largest arts centre, on the Women of the World (WOW) Bradford festival, which celebrates women and young girls and takes a frank look at the obstacles they face.

Cohort 3 2018/19

Nicola Kenton

Nicola is a 23-year-old geography graduate from the University of Birmingham, who has Joint Hypermobility Syndrome and had a pacemaker inserted in 2015. At the age of 14, she attended her first journalism course and has gained lots of practical experience since then including: editing her secondary school newsletter, being an online sport editor of her university newspaper, volunteering with the IPC digital media team and completing work experience at BBC Sport England. Nicola has seen improvement in how Para-sport is represented in the media but wants to continue the progress with the aim of reporting on the Paralympic Games.

Cohort 3 2018/19

Lucy Pegg

Lucy is about to begin study for an MA in news journalism at Nottingham Trent University, having graduated from the University of Sussex with a BA in English. She wants to see diverse journalistic voices amplified, and hopes herself to represent working-class women within political journalism, a sector dominated by men and the privately educated. Lucy was print production editor of The Badger, Sussex’s student newspaper, during her final year. She is also a student journalist for the NUS and has written many freelance articles. Lucy has a keen interest in political issues, particularly current affairs and environmental stories.

Cohort 3 2018/19

Malachi Butt-Mukete

Malachi is a history graduate born and bred in Peckham, South London. He has a passion for creative storytelling, broadcasting and current affairs. His interest in journalism was first peaked whilst living and working in Ghana in 2013/14. He saw just how good and varied news reporting was in shaping the views and opinions of the general population. Malachi currently works for BBC Studios in the digital department. He’s been trying to wriggle his way into the newsroom since his first day and thinks that his NCTJ in multimedia journalism from News Associates will help him get there permanently!

Cohort 3 2018/19

Corey Bedford

Corey, 24, graduated in English language and creative writing from De Montfort University in 2015. After taking time away from his studies to support his mother after being made redundant, he is returning to academia to study MA journalism at the University of Sheffield. Corey wants to have a career in reporting, aiming to specialise in politics, with a goal of becoming a political editor for a national newspaper. Coming from a working class background in a northern industrial town, Corey has fought through homelessness, depression, and money troubles with the love and support of his mum and grandparents.

Cohort 3 2018/19

Cleo Anderson

Cleo, 23, read European studies at King’s College London, spending an Erasmus year at Sciences Po in Paris. Growing up mixed race and having two contrasting family experiences, Cleo has been acutely aware of the effects intersectionality has, whether that be race, class or gender etc. She hopes that this awareness will translate into helping develop approaches and ideas around diversity in the newsroom. Currently, Cleo is particularly interested in developing ‘glocal’ news. Where local news stories, particularly from rural areas, can be conveyed and often implicit links to issues of national and international importance be made. Her other interests include European politics, and minority identities.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Catherine Wiltshire

Catherine comes from a working class background and is mixed race. She is an avid fan of local news and has wanted to be a journalist since she was young, creating her own online zine in her earlier twenties. After a dramatic deterioration of her mental health in late 2013 she was diagnosed with having a psychotic illness. Since then she has developed great insight into her illness and hopes to educate people on mental health issues highlighting the work of mental health organisations, through her own journalistic work.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Jack Richardson

Jack graduated from Birmingham University with a BA in international relations with political science and a part time MA in air power. Without any contacts in journalism, he approached a defence magazine proprietor at a major industry exhibition and ended up writing research-based articles and attending similar trade shows as a member of their publications team. He was particularly proud of this as he has Asperger’s Syndrome. This hidden disability means he finds it hard to interact with other people, particularly in social situations. Not to be deterred, he is very keen to progress with a career in journalism and believes he can also raise the profile of people with this condition.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Yuan Ren

Yuan is bilingual in English and Mandarin and has lived a large part of her life in China. She has worked at Time Out, Pearson, and the Culture Trip in editorial roles, and her freelance writing has appeared in publications such as The Guardian. She is an aspiring video journalist and presenter with a particular interest in the areas of women, and cultural heritage. In her spare time, she is a big foodie trying to write a sitcom.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Tom Orde

Tom currently works as an English teacher and freelance copywriter and has spent a few years living and working in South America. To gain journalism experience he has been working at his local paper and doing volunteer work for the Rural Refugee Network. Eventually Tom wants to work in environmental journalism, combining informative and persuasive writing techniques as to promote environmental issues and framing them in a positive light.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Svar Nanan-Sen

Svar is a graduate of Oxford Brookes University with a BA (Hons) in economics, politics and international relations. He has always had a passion for journalism and sport and decided to pursue both by becoming a sports journalist. Svar comes from a diverse ethnic background having a Caribbean-Irish mother and a Finnish-Indian father. As someone who has both dyslexia and dyspraxia, he has had to overcome a number of barriers to get into journalism but with resilience, focused determination and commitment he has more than equipped himself to have a successful future.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Awil Mohamoud

Awil has had a real interest in current affairs since studying government & politics and sociology at A-level. He subsequently began writing for his college paper as well as for a nationwide youth magazine focused on tackling social and political issues. Awil has been advised to reconsider going into journalism because of how various media organisations misrepresent or stereotype people from his own background. However, he believes that diversity is the answer, as dissimilar voices can act as a correcting influence. He aims to do this through upholding and promoting fair, balanced and accurate reporting.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Chloe McLaughlin

Chloe, who was born in Dundee but brought up in Burnley in Lancashire, is proudly working class and has always had to work numerous jobs to try and support her studies. She believes that income should not be a barrier to success and wants to see more working class, northern voices represented in the media. Chloe studied a BA in performance: drama and theatre, however she has always had a love of journalism and eventually she managed to get her foot in the door at the Northern Life magazine where she works in the editorial team.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Sheila Marshall

Sheila is an independent filmmaker and has worked in film and television for over 15 years. Her first feature documentary Right Between Your Ears explores what drives disagreement in society, the belief that our views are right and couldn’t be wrong. The film has won awards for Best Feature Documentary at festivals and played at the Royal Institution, the Byline journalism festival, and has recently been broadcast on ABC in Australia. Sheila would like to work as a film critic, and feels there is a high demand for female BAME film critics.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Yemaya Marsden

Yemaya is 22 years old and has recently graduated from Keele University with a bachelor’s degree in English literature. She is half-English half-Chinese and has always struggled to identify anyone in the news or mainstream media that reflects her cultural background. She wants to be a role model for other half-oriental working class girls who do not feel represented in the media – and in society. She believes that more needs to be done to increase diversity in journalism, and is grateful for the positive steps made by the Journalism Diversity Fund.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Adam Maidment

Adam Maidment is a 29-year-old freelance journalist, with a degree in media (film and television) from Edge Hill University. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community and having struggled with anxiety, Adam has a particular interest in both LGBTQ+ rights and mental health. He believes that both topics are under-represented in the media, and his first-hand experience provides him with a unique voice. As a freelance writer, Adam has contributed to a number of digital outlets including Gay Times, Cosmopolitan, Into, Elite Daily, and Lifehack. Following the completion of his course, Adam hopes to work on news features for digital media outlets.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Jessica Knibbs

Originally from South Africa, Jessica has worked at some of the biggest publishing houses in both London and Johannesburg. She moved back home and worked as a journalist for the Sandton Chronicle working on breaking news, crime, sports and lifestyle. During that time her passion for journalism became clearly evident as most of her stories became front page news and she became one of the top journalists at the paper. She immersed herself within her community, was the voice for the people and a big advocate for human rights and fairness.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Carly-May Kavanagh

Carly-May is a 21 year old politics and international relations graduate. She is deaf and has Asperger’s, as well as mental health issues. During her time at university she was involved in two student papers, and through this she managed to get two weeks of work experience at NME. She also presented and produced her own radio show on Southampton University’s student radio station. In 2018, Carly-May was nominated and subsequently shortlisted for Best Entertainment Piece at the Student Publication Association national conference. She received several nominations at her university’s annual Media Ball and won Best Behind-The-Scenes. She also won ‘Most Shows This Year’ at Surge Radio’s AGM.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Shardell Joseph

Shardell Joseph, who comes from a working class background, has had a long-standing interest in journalism since studying for her degree in international relations. As a mixed race women, Shardell has focused on highlighting issues of both racial and gender inequality and she plans to use her passion for media and journalism to help propel these issues to the forefront of social and political dialogue. Gaining experience through interning and freelance writing for business and finance publishing company World News Media, Shardell is now looking forward to pursuing a career in news reporting.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Kumail Jaffer

Having recently graduated from the University of Warwick with a degree in politics, philosophy and economics, Kumail is looking to enter the world of journalism in order to voice his unique perspective in the (occasionally) monolithic press. As a Muslim and a minority, issues such as race relations, postcolonialism, foreign policy and worldwide progressive movements stand out as key societal topics to be analysed, dissected and debated over – and for such discussions to be fruitful, Kumail feels that more journalists and writers from minority backgrounds are needed.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Jess Glass

Jess Glass started work in journalism as an arts reporter for Warwick University’s student paper The Boar during their undergraduate sociology degree. They later went on to study an MA in gender studies part-time, finishing the course at the end of August 2018. Jess has written extensively about transgender rights in the UK, including notable investigations into anti-trans campaigners informed by their own experiences of being non-binary. Jess has a particular interest in social and political issues, namely topics of LGBTQ+ rights, health, education and class, much of which is heavily influenced by their own experiences of being an orphan from a working class background.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Timothy Gallagher

After growing up in a small, ex-mining area in the East Midlands, Timothy was motivated to study social anthropology at the University of Manchester, to learn as much as possible about society and the causes of social inequality. Timothy has completed a journalism placement abroad at the Fiji Times, Fiji’s principle newspaper. Timothy hopes to combine his anthropological knowledge with journalistic skills to write about social and political issues, whether this is in the form of reporting, documentary making, or feature writing. Timothy is especially eager to bring a queer perspective to his work, and introduce a wider audience to the liberating qualities of being non-conformist.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu

Yasemin is an international relations and global issues graduate from the University of Nottingham. As a female dyslexic journalist of mixed ethnicity from a working class background, Yasemin is committed to representing and reaching these groups through her work in the media. She would like to cover social justice issues such as discrimination and inequality as well as the intersections of identity, race, class, gender, disability and sexuality in culture and sport. In addition, Yasemin wants to incorporate more audio and visual content in order to make journalism more accessible to those with lower literacy levels and appeal to those who currently find it too dense and impenetrable.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Kathryn Batte

Kathryn has long had an interest in journalism, writing news articles since school and continuing this into university. She has always been sports orientated, playing and watching football from an early age, and wants to combine this with her passion for journalism. Kathryn’s media experience includes being sports editor for her student radio station at the University of York as well as spending a week with the Hull Daily Mail and working with BBC Radio Humberside. As well as the need to increase the amount of female faces and voices in sports journalism, Kathryn believes there is also a need for more northern journalists in the national news.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Kamilla Baiden

Kamilla, who comes from a mixed British and Ghanaian background, is a born and bred inner-city Londoner, with a passion for sharing stories from those with marginalised voices. Since working in the media, Kamilla began to realise that people from minority backgrounds were poorly represented both on and off screen. Since giving birth to a son last year and returning to work, Kamilla began to notice the even greater difficulties faced to women and mothers within the workplace – more specifically women of colour. Having produced content for online, TV and radio, Kamilla would like to merge her production and journalistic skills to become a credible reporter within the industry.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Andrew Andronicou

Andrew has always been passionate about journalism and its power to reach people. He strongly feels the media can be enriched by including more diverse voices as they bring unique perspectives that can reach out and draw in a larger audience. In the workplace, his Greek-Cypriot heritage has allowed him to share insights with his colleagues so they can more sensitively handle racial and religious issues which they might otherwise be blind to. Andrew’s special interest is in technology, digital entertainment and science journalism. He believes that tech plays a pivotal role in any serious media organisation because it reports on the innovations that will shape how readers live their lives.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Adelina Adjei

Raised on a South London council estate by a single parent, Adelina graduated with a degree in biomedical sciences and started a career in the healthcare/pharmaceutical industry. As a British-born Ghanaian, Adelina became frustrated by stereotypical narratives of black people in the mainstream media, which became the inspiration for her blog. Passionate about telling underrepresented stories and bringing the voices of ethnic minorities (among others) to the mainstream media, her writing has resonated online. Adelina also co-created the first Africa Utopia Festival magazine for the Southbank Centre London.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Chloe Adams

Chloe Adams is a 42-year-old mother of two living in East Ayrshire, Scotland. As a young single mother, she juggled busy family life and study commitments to train as a photographer, firstly attending college in Dumfries, and then Edinburgh. Chloe looks forward to diversifying her skills base and hopes this will make her better equipped to continue to progress within the changing landscape of the modern journalism workplace. Chloe is delighted the NCTJ has chosen to support her in this decision by awarding her the Journalism Diversity Fund bursary, which has been integral in her ability to facilitate her studies.

Cohort 1 2018/19

Adam Sonin

Adam Sonin is a freelance journalist and former financial engineer who comes from a mixed race background. During his thirties, and after fighting for a diagnosis, he discovered he has anxiety and is on the autism spectrum. He has written and contributed for the Ham & High, Jewish Chronicle, BBC Radio London 94.9, Time Out, The Times and contributed material to BBC. He holds an MSc from CASS Business School and a BSc from the University of Manchester.

Cohort 1 2018/19

Yusuf Khan

Yusuf is currently in his final year at Cardiff University studying history and economics. Over the last two years, Yusuf has been writing for student news site The Tab and in his final year of university became the editor of the site. His work for the site has included university drop-out rates based on ethnicity, exposing cases of racism at university, and identifying the Eurocentric approach that University courses often take. Coming from a minority himself, Yusuf is particularly determined to tell the stories of diverse people who do not often have the opportunity to talk about their experiences, or issues they have been facing.

Cohort 1 2018/19

Matthew Ford

Matthew grew up in a large working class family, living in social housing on a council estate, and believes income should not be a barrier to advancement. Since the age of 14, Matthew has gained practical reporting experience, firstly covering Northwood FC and latterly progressing to freelance work and work experience placements with two Watford publications, WD Sport and the Watford Observer, covering Watford FC and Leyton Orient FC. Completing a degree in history at the University of Edinburgh in 2018, Matthew held various positions at several of the university’s media societies.

Cohort 1 2018/19

Solape Alatise

Solape Alatise, who comes from a working class black household, is about to graduate from Aston University with a degree in politics and sociology. She is a budding journalist who seeks to bring diversity to the field by giving a voice to different communities and their successes through her work. Solape has a real passion for political journalism and is especially fond of developing stories that cover the US, Africa and the UK. She aspires to be a news reporter, reporting live for the BBC.

Cohort 1 2018/19

Sharmin Akhtar

Sharmin is a British-Asian Muslim whose passion for journalism came about whilst studying for her degree in international relations. However, the more she wanted to pursue her dream of becoming a news reporter, the more she realised that women like her – brown skin and visibly Muslim – were not reflected in the media industry. This is why she believes that more women of colour and of different religions should be represented in the newsroom, especially at a time where Islamaphobia, racism and anti-semitism centres a contemporary national debate.

Cohort 4 2018/19

Susie Kellie

Susie decided to do the NCTJ course at Press Association Training as she was eager to become a journalist but never thought she would be accepted into this industry because she believed it wasn’t made for people like her. Susie has a disability and did not have the financial resources to jump start a journalism career and so she took a leap of faith and decided to leave PR to pursue her dreams. She is hoping that the course will enable her to develop the very much needed skills in order to become the best writer that she can be.

Cohort 4 2018/19

Molly Millar

Molly grew up in Glasgow and graduated from Edinburgh University in 2017 with a degree in English literature. Through journalism she hopes to tie together her passions for great storytelling and current affairs. As a member of the LGBTQ community Molly is particularly eager to investigate the ways in which social and political issues affect the lived realities of marginalised groups. She believes journalism can be a catalyst for change and is committed to a career in bringing to light overlooked stories and perspectives that deserve to be heard.

Cohort 4 2018/19

Danielle Manning

Danielle has been a freelance radio journalist for the past two years and has most recently produced and presented a documentary for the BBC World Service. She now wants to turn her passion for politics and current affairs into a career as a news reporter. Her experience of growing up mixed race in a council house, with a disabled single mother has given her an interest in class, race, social care, mental health and education – topics she wants to explore in her work.

Cohort 4 2018/19

Brad Grant

Having started his career in social housing, Brad developed an interest for social policy – later becoming the first in his family to attend university, graduating recently with a first-class degree in public relations with politics. Whilst studying, Brad entered the field of journalism as a news runner for Sky News. Here he worked on a plethora of stories throughout 2017/18 from the UK terror attacks, Grenfell Tower fire, a general election and recently, a royal wedding. Brad is graciously thankful for the support of the Journalism Diversity Fund and looks forward to pursuing his ambitions of becoming a journalist.

Cohort 4 2018/19

Frankie Christou

Frankie grew up in a working class household with a single mother, so is determined to speak on behalf of those who come from socially deprived backgrounds. Since the summer, Frankie has started his own football blog – and within the space of a few months has received over 4,000 views. He developed his love for sport and progressed to write for Southwark News and The News Shopper, where he reports on Millwall FC and Millwall Lionesses.

Cohort 4 2018/19

Dominic Penna

Dominic Penna is a 21-year-old international relations & politics graduate. He has Asperger’s Syndrome and dyspraxia, meaning he is more reliant than most people on routine and experiences the anxiety which comes with this condition. Having adapted to a more independent life at university, Dominic has been features editor, and is now co-editor, of The Tab Sheffield, having previously interned at The Times, The Tab, and The Burton Mail. He hopes that he will be able to use the qualifications, skills, and contacts gained in his course to raise the profile of hidden disabilities, overcome more personal barriers, and make a positive impact in communities.

Cohort 4 2018/19

Olivia Noon

Olivia, 23, is a recent graduate from the University of Leeds where she achieved a 2.1 in broadcast journalism (international). Originally from Liverpool, Olivia volunteered at her local hospital radio before university. She is proudly working class and wants to see more northern voices represented in the media. Olivia has both dyslexia and dyspraxia and hopes that she can bring a new perspective to the world of journalism. Whilst studying for her degree, Olivia gained work experience at The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the BBC and Oxfam. Olivia hopes to pursue a career as broadcast journalist upon achieving her NCTJ qualification.

Cohort 4 2018/19

Roxana Massoumi

Roxana is a published author with HarperCollins whose investigative journalism work includes interviews with the Ku Klux Klan, first-hand research of human smuggling in Syria and interviewing serial killer Richard Ramirez. She has also made various contributions to The Guardian and Huffington Post on the #metoo movement and rock n roll groupies, on paedophile Ian Watkins and on the demonization of women’s sexuality and Othering the Middle Eastern woman. Roxana was born in Iran and loves rock n roll, history of serial killers, the Ratt Pack, Foucault and the history of sexuality. She would love to make investigative documentaries around the world.

Cohort 4 2018/19

Aini J Khan

Aina J Khan is a London-based journalist who has written for Al Jazeera English, The Guardian, VICE, The Independent, and Middle East Eye. She has worked in broadcast with ITV News and on numerous documentaries with ITN Productions, Channel 4, BBC Three. Over the last three years, she has worked with Southbank Centre, the UK’s largest arts centre, on the Women of the World (WOW) Bradford festival, which celebrates women and young girls and takes a frank look at the obstacles they face.

Cohort 3 2018/19

Nicola Kenton

Nicola is a 23-year-old geography graduate from the University of Birmingham, who has Joint Hypermobility Syndrome and had a pacemaker inserted in 2015. At the age of 14, she attended her first journalism course and has gained lots of practical experience since then including: editing her secondary school newsletter, being an online sport editor of her university newspaper, volunteering with the IPC digital media team and completing work experience at BBC Sport England. Nicola has seen improvement in how Para-sport is represented in the media but wants to continue the progress with the aim of reporting on the Paralympic Games.

Cohort 3 2018/19

Lucy Pegg

Lucy is about to begin study for an MA in news journalism at Nottingham Trent University, having graduated from the University of Sussex with a BA in English. She wants to see diverse journalistic voices amplified, and hopes herself to represent working-class women within political journalism, a sector dominated by men and the privately educated. Lucy was print production editor of The Badger, Sussex’s student newspaper, during her final year. She is also a student journalist for the NUS and has written many freelance articles. Lucy has a keen interest in political issues, particularly current affairs and environmental stories.

Cohort 3 2018/19

Malachi Butt-Mukete

Malachi is a history graduate born and bred in Peckham, South London. He has a passion for creative storytelling, broadcasting and current affairs. His interest in journalism was first peaked whilst living and working in Ghana in 2013/14. He saw just how good and varied news reporting was in shaping the views and opinions of the general population. Malachi currently works for BBC Studios in the digital department. He’s been trying to wriggle his way into the newsroom since his first day and thinks that his NCTJ in multimedia journalism from News Associates will help him get there permanently!

Cohort 3 2018/19

Corey Bedford

Corey, 24, graduated in English language and creative writing from De Montfort University in 2015. After taking time away from his studies to support his mother after being made redundant, he is returning to academia to study MA journalism at the University of Sheffield. Corey wants to have a career in reporting, aiming to specialise in politics, with a goal of becoming a political editor for a national newspaper. Coming from a working class background in a northern industrial town, Corey has fought through homelessness, depression, and money troubles with the love and support of his mum and grandparents.

Cohort 3 2018/19

Cleo Anderson

Cleo, 23, read European studies at King’s College London, spending an Erasmus year at Sciences Po in Paris. Growing up mixed race and having two contrasting family experiences, Cleo has been acutely aware of the effects intersectionality has, whether that be race, class or gender etc. She hopes that this awareness will translate into helping develop approaches and ideas around diversity in the newsroom. Currently, Cleo is particularly interested in developing ‘glocal’ news. Where local news stories, particularly from rural areas, can be conveyed and often implicit links to issues of national and international importance be made. Her other interests include European politics, and minority identities.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Catherine Wiltshire

Catherine comes from a working class background and is mixed race. She is an avid fan of local news and has wanted to be a journalist since she was young, creating her own online zine in her earlier twenties. After a dramatic deterioration of her mental health in late 2013 she was diagnosed with having a psychotic illness. Since then she has developed great insight into her illness and hopes to educate people on mental health issues highlighting the work of mental health organisations, through her own journalistic work.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Jack Richardson

Jack graduated from Birmingham University with a BA in international relations with political science and a part time MA in air power. Without any contacts in journalism, he approached a defence magazine proprietor at a major industry exhibition and ended up writing research-based articles and attending similar trade shows as a member of their publications team. He was particularly proud of this as he has Asperger’s Syndrome. This hidden disability means he finds it hard to interact with other people, particularly in social situations. Not to be deterred, he is very keen to progress with a career in journalism and believes he can also raise the profile of people with this condition.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Yuan Ren

Yuan is bilingual in English and Mandarin and has lived a large part of her life in China. She has worked at Time Out, Pearson, and the Culture Trip in editorial roles, and her freelance writing has appeared in publications such as The Guardian. She is an aspiring video journalist and presenter with a particular interest in the areas of women, and cultural heritage. In her spare time, she is a big foodie trying to write a sitcom.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Tom Orde

Tom currently works as an English teacher and freelance copywriter and has spent a few years living and working in South America. To gain journalism experience he has been working at his local paper and doing volunteer work for the Rural Refugee Network. Eventually Tom wants to work in environmental journalism, combining informative and persuasive writing techniques as to promote environmental issues and framing them in a positive light.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Svar Nanan-Sen

Svar is a graduate of Oxford Brookes University with a BA (Hons) in economics, politics and international relations. He has always had a passion for journalism and sport and decided to pursue both by becoming a sports journalist. Svar comes from a diverse ethnic background having a Caribbean-Irish mother and a Finnish-Indian father. As someone who has both dyslexia and dyspraxia, he has had to overcome a number of barriers to get into journalism but with resilience, focused determination and commitment he has more than equipped himself to have a successful future.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Awil Mohamoud

Awil has had a real interest in current affairs since studying government & politics and sociology at A-level. He subsequently began writing for his college paper as well as for a nationwide youth magazine focused on tackling social and political issues. Awil has been advised to reconsider going into journalism because of how various media organisations misrepresent or stereotype people from his own background. However, he believes that diversity is the answer, as dissimilar voices can act as a correcting influence. He aims to do this through upholding and promoting fair, balanced and accurate reporting.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Chloe McLaughlin

Chloe, who was born in Dundee but brought up in Burnley in Lancashire, is proudly working class and has always had to work numerous jobs to try and support her studies. She believes that income should not be a barrier to success and wants to see more working class, northern voices represented in the media. Chloe studied a BA in performance: drama and theatre, however she has always had a love of journalism and eventually she managed to get her foot in the door at the Northern Life magazine where she works in the editorial team.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Sheila Marshall

Sheila is an independent filmmaker and has worked in film and television for over 15 years. Her first feature documentary Right Between Your Ears explores what drives disagreement in society, the belief that our views are right and couldn’t be wrong. The film has won awards for Best Feature Documentary at festivals and played at the Royal Institution, the Byline journalism festival, and has recently been broadcast on ABC in Australia. Sheila would like to work as a film critic, and feels there is a high demand for female BAME film critics.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Yemaya Marsden

Yemaya is 22 years old and has recently graduated from Keele University with a bachelor’s degree in English literature. She is half-English half-Chinese and has always struggled to identify anyone in the news or mainstream media that reflects her cultural background. She wants to be a role model for other half-oriental working class girls who do not feel represented in the media – and in society. She believes that more needs to be done to increase diversity in journalism, and is grateful for the positive steps made by the Journalism Diversity Fund.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Adam Maidment

Adam Maidment is a 29-year-old freelance journalist, with a degree in media (film and television) from Edge Hill University. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community and having struggled with anxiety, Adam has a particular interest in both LGBTQ+ rights and mental health. He believes that both topics are under-represented in the media, and his first-hand experience provides him with a unique voice. As a freelance writer, Adam has contributed to a number of digital outlets including Gay Times, Cosmopolitan, Into, Elite Daily, and Lifehack. Following the completion of his course, Adam hopes to work on news features for digital media outlets.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Jessica Knibbs

Originally from South Africa, Jessica has worked at some of the biggest publishing houses in both London and Johannesburg. She moved back home and worked as a journalist for the Sandton Chronicle working on breaking news, crime, sports and lifestyle. During that time her passion for journalism became clearly evident as most of her stories became front page news and she became one of the top journalists at the paper. She immersed herself within her community, was the voice for the people and a big advocate for human rights and fairness.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Carly-May Kavanagh

Carly-May is a 21 year old politics and international relations graduate. She is deaf and has Asperger’s, as well as mental health issues. During her time at university she was involved in two student papers, and through this she managed to get two weeks of work experience at NME. She also presented and produced her own radio show on Southampton University’s student radio station. In 2018, Carly-May was nominated and subsequently shortlisted for Best Entertainment Piece at the Student Publication Association national conference. She received several nominations at her university’s annual Media Ball and won Best Behind-The-Scenes. She also won ‘Most Shows This Year’ at Surge Radio’s AGM.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Shardell Joseph

Shardell Joseph, who comes from a working class background, has had a long-standing interest in journalism since studying for her degree in international relations. As a mixed race women, Shardell has focused on highlighting issues of both racial and gender inequality and she plans to use her passion for media and journalism to help propel these issues to the forefront of social and political dialogue. Gaining experience through interning and freelance writing for business and finance publishing company World News Media, Shardell is now looking forward to pursuing a career in news reporting.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Kumail Jaffer

Having recently graduated from the University of Warwick with a degree in politics, philosophy and economics, Kumail is looking to enter the world of journalism in order to voice his unique perspective in the (occasionally) monolithic press. As a Muslim and a minority, issues such as race relations, postcolonialism, foreign policy and worldwide progressive movements stand out as key societal topics to be analysed, dissected and debated over – and for such discussions to be fruitful, Kumail feels that more journalists and writers from minority backgrounds are needed.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Jess Glass

Jess Glass started work in journalism as an arts reporter for Warwick University’s student paper The Boar during their undergraduate sociology degree. They later went on to study an MA in gender studies part-time, finishing the course at the end of August 2018. Jess has written extensively about transgender rights in the UK, including notable investigations into anti-trans campaigners informed by their own experiences of being non-binary. Jess has a particular interest in social and political issues, namely topics of LGBTQ+ rights, health, education and class, much of which is heavily influenced by their own experiences of being an orphan from a working class background.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Timothy Gallagher

After growing up in a small, ex-mining area in the East Midlands, Timothy was motivated to study social anthropology at the University of Manchester, to learn as much as possible about society and the causes of social inequality. Timothy has completed a journalism placement abroad at the Fiji Times, Fiji’s principle newspaper. Timothy hopes to combine his anthropological knowledge with journalistic skills to write about social and political issues, whether this is in the form of reporting, documentary making, or feature writing. Timothy is especially eager to bring a queer perspective to his work, and introduce a wider audience to the liberating qualities of being non-conformist.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu

Yasemin is an international relations and global issues graduate from the University of Nottingham. As a female dyslexic journalist of mixed ethnicity from a working class background, Yasemin is committed to representing and reaching these groups through her work in the media. She would like to cover social justice issues such as discrimination and inequality as well as the intersections of identity, race, class, gender, disability and sexuality in culture and sport. In addition, Yasemin wants to incorporate more audio and visual content in order to make journalism more accessible to those with lower literacy levels and appeal to those who currently find it too dense and impenetrable.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Kathryn Batte

Kathryn has long had an interest in journalism, writing news articles since school and continuing this into university. She has always been sports orientated, playing and watching football from an early age, and wants to combine this with her passion for journalism. Kathryn’s media experience includes being sports editor for her student radio station at the University of York as well as spending a week with the Hull Daily Mail and working with BBC Radio Humberside. As well as the need to increase the amount of female faces and voices in sports journalism, Kathryn believes there is also a need for more northern journalists in the national news.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Kamilla Baiden

Kamilla, who comes from a mixed British and Ghanaian background, is a born and bred inner-city Londoner, with a passion for sharing stories from those with marginalised voices. Since working in the media, Kamilla began to realise that people from minority backgrounds were poorly represented both on and off screen. Since giving birth to a son last year and returning to work, Kamilla began to notice the even greater difficulties faced to women and mothers within the workplace – more specifically women of colour. Having produced content for online, TV and radio, Kamilla would like to merge her production and journalistic skills to become a credible reporter within the industry.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Andrew Andronicou

Andrew has always been passionate about journalism and its power to reach people. He strongly feels the media can be enriched by including more diverse voices as they bring unique perspectives that can reach out and draw in a larger audience. In the workplace, his Greek-Cypriot heritage has allowed him to share insights with his colleagues so they can more sensitively handle racial and religious issues which they might otherwise be blind to. Andrew’s special interest is in technology, digital entertainment and science journalism. He believes that tech plays a pivotal role in any serious media organisation because it reports on the innovations that will shape how readers live their lives.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Adelina Adjei

Raised on a South London council estate by a single parent, Adelina graduated with a degree in biomedical sciences and started a career in the healthcare/pharmaceutical industry. As a British-born Ghanaian, Adelina became frustrated by stereotypical narratives of black people in the mainstream media, which became the inspiration for her blog. Passionate about telling underrepresented stories and bringing the voices of ethnic minorities (among others) to the mainstream media, her writing has resonated online. Adelina also co-created the first Africa Utopia Festival magazine for the Southbank Centre London.

Cohort 2 2018/19

Chloe Adams

Chloe Adams is a 42-year-old mother of two living in East Ayrshire, Scotland. As a young single mother, she juggled busy family life and study commitments to train as a photographer, firstly attending college in Dumfries, and then Edinburgh. Chloe looks forward to diversifying her skills base and hopes this will make her better equipped to continue to progress within the changing landscape of the modern journalism workplace. Chloe is delighted the NCTJ has chosen to support her in this decision by awarding her the Journalism Diversity Fund bursary, which has been integral in her ability to facilitate her studies.

Cohort 1 2018/19

Adam Sonin

Adam Sonin is a freelance journalist and former financial engineer who comes from a mixed race background. During his thirties, and after fighting for a diagnosis, he discovered he has anxiety and is on the autism spectrum. He has written and contributed for the Ham & High, Jewish Chronicle, BBC Radio London 94.9, Time Out, The Times and contributed material to BBC. He holds an MSc from CASS Business School and a BSc from the University of Manchester.

Cohort 1 2018/19

Yusuf Khan

Yusuf is currently in his final year at Cardiff University studying history and economics. Over the last two years, Yusuf has been writing for student news site The Tab and in his final year of university became the editor of the site. His work for the site has included university drop-out rates based on ethnicity, exposing cases of racism at university, and identifying the Eurocentric approach that University courses often take. Coming from a minority himself, Yusuf is particularly determined to tell the stories of diverse people who do not often have the opportunity to talk about their experiences, or issues they have been facing.

Cohort 1 2018/19

Matthew Ford

Matthew grew up in a large working class family, living in social housing on a council estate, and believes income should not be a barrier to advancement. Since the age of 14, Matthew has gained practical reporting experience, firstly covering Northwood FC and latterly progressing to freelance work and work experience placements with two Watford publications, WD Sport and the Watford Observer, covering Watford FC and Leyton Orient FC. Completing a degree in history at the University of Edinburgh in 2018, Matthew held various positions at several of the university’s media societies.

Cohort 1 2018/19

Solape Alatise

Solape Alatise, who comes from a working class black household, is about to graduate from Aston University with a degree in politics and sociology. She is a budding journalist who seeks to bring diversity to the field by giving a voice to different communities and their successes through her work. Solape has a real passion for political journalism and is especially fond of developing stories that cover the US, Africa and the UK. She aspires to be a news reporter, reporting live for the BBC.

Cohort 1 2018/19

Sharmin Akhtar

Sharmin is a British-Asian Muslim whose passion for journalism came about whilst studying for her degree in international relations. However, the more she wanted to pursue her dream of becoming a news reporter, the more she realised that women like her – brown skin and visibly Muslim – were not reflected in the media industry. This is why she believes that more women of colour and of different religions should be represented in the newsroom, especially at a time where Islamaphobia, racism and anti-semitism centres a contemporary national debate.

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Bursaries to aspiring journalists

Administered by the NCTJ, the Journalism Diversity Fund awards bursaries to aspiring journalists from socially or ethnically diverse backgrounds who do not have the financial means to support themseleves through NCTJ journalism training, giving them the opportunity to pursue one of the most exciting and rewarding careers around.